


I'll Take Care Of You

by christophersgay (kitkarnstein)



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Age Regression, Age Regression/De-Aging, CG/L, Caregiver/little, F/F, Fluff, Little Carm loves The Nightmare Before Christmas, Non-Sexual Age Play, Non-sexual, Nonsexual, caregiver!Laura, cute af carmilla tbh, little!Carmilla, mama!Laura, mommy!Laura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 06:11:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8045374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitkarnstein/pseuds/christophersgay
Summary: In which Laura and Carmilla are dating, and Carmilla is Laura's adorable little vampire princess.Carmilla mentally age regresses. There's some kissing, but nothing past that. It's not a kink. If you have a problem with non-sexual age regression in relationships, in this case as a form of coping, then you should just keep scrolling.(Note: To be absolutely clear, no magic involved, no literally turning into a child)





	1. Present: Pinky Promise

**Author's Note:**

> I plan to write more, it'll be more likely that I do if I get positive feedback. My idea is to do chapters set a bit in the past about how they got to be in mama/little dynamic and I will also show present time cute hollstein regressed times.

 

_**Chapter 1: Pinky Promise** _

 

Laura heard the sound of something falling to the floor and a distant, muffled "Uh oh".

"Carmilla? Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"Uh huh!" Carmilla responded, sounding strained. With a concerned frown, she got up and made her way into the living room where she had left Carmilla an hour ago. Legos were scattered all over the floor, an unfinished black and purple castle in the middle of the whole mess. And Carmilla's stuffed animals were sitting in a row facing the TV, which was playing The Nightmare Before Christmas, but the owner of the toys was nowhere to be seen.

Laura checked the kitchen next to find Carmilla sitting on the floor and holding onto her teddy tightly, her posture tense, broken pieces of Laura's Tardis mug strewn across the floor a few feet away from where she sat. The girl's eyes widened when she saw Laura, and she immediately began to tear up, gripping on tighter to the stuffed bear in her arms.

"I'm-- I'm sorry, Mama! I didn't mean to. I didn't m-mean to. Please don't be mad."

"It's okay, baby, I'm not mad." Laura sat on the floor in front of Carm, gently putting her arms around her. Okay, yeah, maybe she was a a little sad at first, her favorite mug being broken and all, but at the sight of her little girl crying, the mug became the least of her cares. "I'm not upset, okay? I'ts just a silly old mug, we can get another."

Carmilla sniffled, her eyes flitting across the room, looking everywhere but Laura. Laura could tell Carmilla's mind was going to bad places and that she wasn't listening. She was shaking slightly as the spoke again, "It was your favorite. I wanted to make you cocoa 'cause you like it a lot and I drop it but it was a accident. I didn't want to be b-bad. I'm sorry, Mama."

Laura bit her lip worriedly. "Look at me, princess." She cautiously put her hand on Carmilla's face so she could see her face. "I'm not upset with you. I promise. You're such a sweet little girl, thank you for thinking of me. You are definitely not bad. You are so, so good. There's nothing to be sorry about, baby."

Carmilla's lower lip trembled as she finally looked her in the eyes. "You're... you're not mad, Mama?"

Laura shook her head and smiled, "I'm not mad."

"Pinky promise?" she held out her pinky. Laura curled her own pinky around her's.

"Pinky promise," Laura wiped her little girl's tears away and was then going to kiss her cheek when Carm moved her face so Laura ended up kissing her lips instead. Laura laughed and pecked her lips again.

Carmilla grinned, "I gotcha!" Laura held her princess close and gave her an adoring look.

"You did, baby." They both sat there for a few moments, holding each other. Laura could tell when Carmilla was beginning to feel better, because she started getting restless.

"We gotta get another mug, Mama! And we can get one with Jack and Sally and you can have Sally and I can have Jack."

"You already have Jack and Sally sippies, don't you?" Laura raised an eyebrow and grinned, amused.

"But we gotta match! You don't use sippies, Mama. I wanna match you. Please?" Usually she puts on her best pout, since Carmilla knows Laura has a hard time saying no to it, but after the mug incident, Carmilla was understandably less confident, so instead she was trying to suppress a genuine pout, which actually just made it all the more difficult to resist.

Laura groaned good-naturedly and enveloped her in a hug. "Oh, okay, cutie."

Carmilla giggled and hugged Laura tighter. "Thank you, Mama! Let's go now!" Laura grabbed the keys from the counter as Carmilla pretty much dragged her out the door, glad she had changed out of her pajamas earlier, and even more so that she had someone as wonderful as her girlfriend.


	2. Past: Laura Has No Idea What's Going On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla is ignoring Laura, Laura has no idea what's going on, but Lafontaine definitely seems to have an idea. (LAF KNOWS ALL)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan on alternating from past to present. This is the first past one, from where it all started. Hope you like it !

 

**_Chapter 2 - Past: Laura Has No Idea What's Going On_ **

 

They had been dating for a little over 3 months. Being with Carmilla was amazing, besides the fact that Laura was currently very worried about her girlfriend. She could tell there were things that haunted her, that she was still in pain over past trauma. She wouldn't talk about it though. In fact, she had yet to admit anything was even wrong.

And Carmilla had nightmares. Laura knew because at night Carm would squeeze her eyes shut tight, and she would wince and grip onto the sheet or the bed or Laura's yellow pillow until her knuckles turned white. She would sometimes mumble about her mother and blood and darkness. And some nights, the nights that Laura hated the most, were the ones where Carmilla would apologize, whimpered "I'm sorry"s spilling from her lips over and over again. What she was apologizing for, Laura could only guess. If it got to that, she would try to wake her up, and then Carmilla would pretend nothing had happened, and Laura would hold Carm while she trembled.

 

* * *

 

 

_**2 weeks later** _

 

Carmilla had been ignoring her all day. They usually had lunch and texted occasionally throughout the day, but at lunch Broody Girlfriend was nowhere to be seen and her texts had gone read but unanswered. The night before, Laura had tried to get Carmilla to talk about her mother, or El, or the blood coffin, or anything that might have been bothering her, but Carmilla had turned frigid and brushed her off, said she was going to bed, and moved from Laura's bed to her own.

And now Laura didn't even know where Carm was and she was very worried. Mad, but mostly worried. So instead of heading to Lafontaine's to study like she usually did on Wednesdays, she let Laf know she wouldn't be going and went straight to her dorm, too distraught for homework.

When she got to her dorm, she froze at the sight of an old and worn-looking brown teddy bear on Carmilla's bed; along with Laura's yellow pillow, a box of Laura's chocolate chip cookies, and the laptop Laura had gotten her for Christmas. She could hear the sound of the shower turned on and muffled humming, and figured Carmilla didn't know Laura would be back early.

You could say there were many things Laura was questioning at that moment. Overall it seemed like Carmilla had planned for alone time, and needed it too, though her way of going about it could use some improvement (like, maybe, actually telling her girlfriend she needs time to herself instead of ignoring her all day). Laura quickly decided she should let her be and come back later, so she sent Laf an _"oops, nvm"_ message and headed for their dorm.

 

* * *

 

 

"I just wish she would talk to me," Laura was sitting beside Laf on the bed, having given up on trying to study a while ago. Lafontaine had their head in their hands and a pensive look on their face, digesting the information Laura had just given them.

"An old teddy bear?"

"Yeah."

"So, mother trauma, centuries of pain and bottling up feelings, old teddy bears, cookies and Winnie The Pooh. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lafontaine lifted their head, looking like they'd unlocked a big secret, but Laura was just very, very confused.

"Wait, Winnie The Pooh?"

"She'd kill me if she knew I told you, but one time a few weeks ago I came into your dorm and she was watching a Winnie the Pooh movie. She said she had just heard about it from some student and she was curious about that part of modern life or something, but I'm pretty sure she was lying."

Laura turned to face them fully, "Uh, do you happen to know something I don't?" Because Laura was lost.

Laf hesitated a moment, but then replied, "Do you know what age regression is?"

Laura's eyebrows furrowed, "You mean, like... daddy/babygirl stuff? Ageplay? Because I read this fanfic once and I mean, it was, uh--" 

"Not really. At least I'm guessing it's not like that with Carmilla, but I can't be sure. There's ageplay, which is the sexual stuff, and then there's age regression and little space. Usually people do it to cope, or simply because it's relaxing and they enjoy it, or both. Everybody's different though."

"Okay. And you think Carmilla... regresses?"

Lafontaine shrugged, "I think so. Most likely. Maybe she does and she doesn't know there's a name for it or anything."

"So, it's not about sex, but the titles are still there... which is kind of..."

"Weird. Yeah. It's just sort of... about the caregiver role. It's not incestuous or any of that, it's just about the taking care of each other. That closer, more intimate bond that comes with the title. Two consenting mature people, no children involved, obviously. It's just going back to a stress-less and safer state of mind, with someone to care for you completely."

"It makes sense. You seem to know a lot about this. Have you ever done anything like that?"

"Well, sort of? I had a friend in high school, we never dated or anything but she regressed to cope with mental illness.She didn't have a partner so I would watch Disney movies and color with her a lot, and we would snuggle sometimes."

"Oh, okay."

"It was nice, really. Taking care of someone like that. Being trusted that much. You feel really good, like you're doing something good," Laf smiled, knowing that if they were right about Carmilla, it would definitely be an interesting adjustment for Laura, but they had a feeling Laura would end up enjoying it.

Laura nodded in acknowledgement, deep in thought. It didn't sound bad. Laura hadn't given away her childhood stuffed animals until late in high school, and she had regretted it slightly, missing the light and comforting feeling it gave her when she held them. And there was something to be said about Disney movie marathons and way they made everything a little less bleak. So she could see how it would therapeutic, but she had trouble imagining _Carmilla_ doing these things. But that could probably be because she closed off parts of herself from everyone, like the parts of her that allowed for laughing (the non-sarcastic kind) and actually talking about her feelings. She was definitely going to research about this stuff later.

"I think, that it could be possible, Carmilla regressing."

Lafontaine nodded, "You know her better than I do. What are you going to do, if that happens to be the case?"

"Hopefully, get Carmilla to talk to me. If this is something that helps her then I want to be there for her, and take care of her. It's definitely worth a try, anyway."

"Yeah. And if you're not into it, at least she wouldn't have to tiptoe around you anymore, right?"

"Exactly!" Laura slid off the bed. She checked her phone and saw it was around the time she usually got back to her dorm. "Thanks, Laf. I should go back now."

"Alright, good luck!" Laf replied as Laura left their dorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading <3


	3. Present: Winnie The Pooh and Tigger Too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perry meets Carmilla in little space for the first time. Obviously, it's super cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey ! Some cute times here for you <3 Hope you like it!

 

**_Chapter 3 - Present: Winnie The Pooh and Tigger Too_ **

 

"Mama, do you think Perry's gonna like me?" Carmilla mumbled, holding Laura's hand. Perry and Lafontaine had recently rented an apartment together, and the pair were currently heading there. Carmilla had on leather pants, a black t-shirt and boots, the only piece to stand out being the white Jack Skellington beanie on her head and Jamie the teddy bear in her hand, while Laura had on flannel and jeans, as well as the messenger bag slung over her shoulder.

"Definitely, baby. Perry's gonna love you! Who wouldn't? My beautiful girl," Laura put her arm around her princess and kissed the side of her face. Lafontaine was already friends with Carmilla's little side, after quite a long while of gaining the little vampire's trust. Yes, Laura was a bit nervous about Perry hanging out with Carmilla while she was in little space for the first time, but she and Laf had had a talk with Perry about it beforehand, and the curly redhead seemed to understand completely and wanted to get to know that side of the vampire.

Carmilla grinned and tilted her head down to the ground, "You're beautiful too."

"Thank you, princess," Laura smiled at her as they reached the apartment building and stepped onto the elevator. Carmilla anxiously grabbed Jamie in both arms and held the bear against her chest. Laura put her hand on the other girl's back and rubbed soothing circles.

"Everything's going to go great, sweetness."

Carmilla nodded slightly in response, her chin disappearing into the fluffy head of the stuffed animal for a second. The elevator door opened and Laura lead Carmilla through the hall, muttering under her breath.

"Where is...? Oh! Here we are!" Laura knocked on the door marked 1698 soon after they heard the faint sound of Perry's voice, "One moment, please!"

The door opened to reveal Perry, who was wearing an apron and her usual big smile.

"Hello, Laura," she greeted, and she hesitated for just a split second as she took in Carmilla's shy face and the stuffed bear in her hands. "Hello, Carmilla! That's a very nice bear you have there."

Laura gave Perry an encouraging grin. The corner of Carmilla's mouth lifted slightly, but she didn't look up from a spot on the floor. Perry simply smiled in return even though the vampire couldn't really see it.

"Come on in, both of you. Lafontaine will be back soon, they went out about half an hour ago to get some blood bags for Carmilla," she ushered them inside and then closed the door.

Carmilla looked up hesitantly, "St. Josey's?" She spoke quietly and with a delicateness Perry had never witnessed before, and it seemed to catch her off guard.

"Yes! Laura and Lafontaine mentioned that you had a preference for St. Joseph's Hospital," Perry hesitated for a second before picking up a tray from the kitchen counter, "I made cookies, if you'd like some."

They were sugar cookies, ones with yellow icing and with a smiley face in black icing, others two shades of pink with an open smiley face, and an orange striped one with the widest smile of all; characters from Winnie The Pooh.

"Thank you, Perry, they look amazing!" Laura took a Pooh one and glanced at Carmilla. The other girl stared at the tray of cookies, alternating her gaze from the tray to looking at Perry from the corner of her eye before delicately reaching for a Tigger cookie.

Perry fiddled with the tray nervously before setting it back down on the counter and sitting on the armchair facing the couch. Laura sat on the couch and gently pulled her shy little girl on the couch with her.

"You do like Winnie The Pooh, yes?" Perry questioned softly.

Carmilla finally looked up at her and nodded, cookie still in her hand and her posture a little tense.

Perry smiled, "I've always liked Christopher Robin the most. Who's your favorite?"

"I like Tigger. He's happy and bouncy and fun," Carmilla replied, then added as an afterthought as she looked at Laura, "like Mama."

Laura's cheeks were tinted a light pink as she smiled and put her arm around Carmilla. "You are too cute, sweetness."

Carmilla leaned into Laura's touch and relaxed slightly as she turned back towards Perry, "You're like Rabbit. You're nice and like things clean and have lots of food that other people eat."

The curly redhead gave Carmilla a wide smile, "I can't argue with that reasoning."

"I'm always right!" Carmilla replied proudly, taking Jamie and setting him beside her on the couch.

Laura raised an eyebrow, "Oh, are you?"

"Yes, Mama! I'm the little vampire princess, 'member?" Carmilla finally took a bite of her Tigger cookie.

Laura's eyes widened, "Right, of course, how could I possibly forget, your majesty?"

"You're my knight and Perry's Royal Cook!" the vampire replied, mouth full, as she had jammed the last half of the cookie in her mouth.

"How about me?" Lafontaine asked as they walked through the door carrying a box full of blood bags.

"You're... the wizard!" Carmilla got up and hugged Laf as they set the box down. Lafontaine gave her a toothy smile. "Hey, buddy!" Lafontaine laughed as Carm went from their arms to the box in a split second. The vampire looked at Laura, "Sippie cup?"

Laura was already rummaging through her bag, and she handed Lafontaine Carmilla's Steven Universe sippie. They went off with the cup and the bag to the kitchen. Carmilla swayed back and forth on the heels of her feet. "Can we watch Nightmare?"

Laura tried to contain her groan, pretty sure she had watched The Nightmare Before Christmas more than twenty times now. "How about we watch something else, baby?"

Carm stopped bouncing and frowned, "but... I want Perry to see Jack and Sally and hear What's This."

Perry looked from Laura to Carmilla, "I wouldn't mind?" she commented, not sure if Laura just said it for her sake.

"See? Perry wants to!" the vampire grinned.

Laura sighed but couldn't help but smile at her little girl's joy. "Okay, but you got to give Mama lots of cuddles."

"Deal!" Carmilla jumped onto the couch as Lafontaine came in and handed her the sippie cup, now filled with blood, or as little Carm liked to call it, vampire juice. Laf handed Laura a mug of hot cocoa and Perry a cup of tea before sitting in the other armchair and grabbing the control, "Let me guess, The Nightmare Before Christmas?"

"Yup!" Carm lifted the sippie to her lips and snuggled into Laura's side.

The four of them all settled into their seats, happy with how it all turned out, and glad to make Carmilla smile. After all this time, the broody vampire had definitely made their way into all of their hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading! What do you think?


	4. Past: What's This?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura investigates. Catmilla makes an appearance. Hollstein is cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another Past chapter :)

_**Chapter 4 - Past: What's This?** _

 

When Laura walked to her dorm the teddy bear was nowhere to be seen, her cookies were back on the desk, half empty now (although her yellow pillow was still on Carmilla's bed), and Carmilla was laying on her bed, reading a book, but she had put it down when she heard the door open. "I'm sorry, cupcake. I shouldn't have ignored you today."

"It's okay," Laura said simply, setting her bag on the floor near her desk. "What happened?"

Carmilla froze for a second, a bit taken aback by Laura's calm tone and demeanor. She had been certain her girlfriend would have been irritated, maybe even angry at her."I needed some time for myself. The dimwits in my classes were starting to get to me, and I didn't want to distract you from your test. I know you'd been studying for it for weeks."

Laura sat down next to Carmilla, taking the girl's hand in her's. "Tell me next time, please? Just one text would have been nice."

"Yeah, of course. I will."

"Thank you, baby," Laura smiled and kissed Carm's cheek. Carmilla's eyebrows shot up. "Uh, did-- did you just call me 'baby'?" Laura shrugged, "Thought I'd try out the whole petnames thing... if that's okay?"

Carmilla played with the edges of the pages of the book in her lap. "It's fine, I just didn't expect it."

"Okay," Laura grabbed her laptop from the desk and pressed her body into Carmilla's side. "Want to watch Sherlock?"

Carmilla rolled her eyes but kissed the side of Laura's face and wrapped her arm around her. "Alright, cutie."

* * *

 

A few days later, Laura had scrolled down to the depths of the age regression tag on Tumblr. The whole concept had become admittingly appealing, sans the whole diaper deal, Laura hoped Carm wouldn't want that. Laura had been trying a slightly different approach with Carmilla. Instead of trying to get her to talk, she would simply ask if she was okay, and when Carm would would give nothing away, Laura would hug her or cuddle if they happened to be alone. She also had gotten into the habit of calling her 'baby', with the occasional 'sweetheart', and it was obvious Carmilla liked it even though she wouldn't say so.

Taking a more gentle, affectionate approach had proven more effective than the way-too-persistent journalist girlfriend approach. Granted, that doesn't have to have anything to do with her girlfriend's possible little space, but it was still definitely a win. Carm was significantly less broody. So Phase I of Laura's plan complete. Now on to Phase II! 

* * *

 

"Carm," Laura nudged her sleeping girlfriend, who had been running around in her panther form, and had come back still in said panther form and promptly fallen asleep in the middle of the dorm room. Laura had simply rubbed the vampire's back softly and walked over her. But three hours later, she had finished her classwork for the day and was ready to implement Phase II of her plan, which would require Carmilla to be awake and in broody gay vampire form.

The panther only shifted slightly. Laura rubbed behind the big cat's ears, which made Carmilla start purring. Her eyes opened, blinking lazily as she looked up at Laura.

"Hey, sleepyhead. As much as I love you in big black cat form, I do kind of want to kiss my girlfriend." Carmilla raised herself up on her front legs and licked Laura's face in response before laying back down again, this time on Laura's legs, her hand nudging Laura's hand for more petting.

"Very clever, Carm," Laura grumbled, wiping her face with the back of hand. "You know that's not what I mean, though," she rubbed behind Carm's ears and the back of her head anyway.

"Come on, I finally finished that essay. And we haven't cuddled in days," Laura brought out a pout, making Carmilla's ears stand up as the cat's attention turned from the petting to her face. The black cat looked up at her, and then, after one big yawn, stood up and shifted form until she was standing, a vampire again, eyebrow raised at Laura, trying and failing to supress a smile.

"Alright, quit with the sad act, creampuff, or I'll change my mind."

Laura huffed, "Right, as if you don't want to cuddle too," she got up and pulled Carmilla on her bed, where she had already placed her laptop and cookies. Carmilla smirked in response as Laura curled up at her side and laid her head on the vampire's chest. "Meh, the cuddling's subpar."

"Carm!" Laura poked the other girl's stomach in retaliation.

"Fine, we won't cuddle then." The slightly smaller girl attempted to separate herself from the other, only to be pulled tight into the vampire's embrace as Carmilla buried a kiss in Laura's hair.

"Oh no, you're staying right here, sunshine," Carmilla grinned, "I like the cuddling."

"I know," Laura rolled her eyes and smiled, "Okay, we're gonna watch The Nightmare Before Christmas!" she announced.

Carm hadn't seen it yet, but Laura had a feeling she'd be into it. Carmilla narrowed her eyes at the laptop screen, taking in the animated movie's cover. "It's not Christmas... or Halloween?"

Laura smiled, "It's a good movie for any occasion! I think you'll like it."

"Oh well, if you say so, cutie," Carmilla replied, a mix of sarcasm and underlying affection only the vampire could pull off.

* * *

 

"Why does he want Christmas for Halloween? Halloween is a perfectly fine holiday," the vampire muttered, playing with strands of the other girl's hair. Laura smiled as Carmilla finally dropped the I'm-not-paying-attention facade, because she had totally been paying attention.

* * *

 

"Is there really going to be this much singing?" Carmilla questioned, not quite achieving the irritated tone she had been going for.

"Oh come on, the music is great!"

* * *

 

"Okay, so it's not that bad of a film."

Laura smirked but didn't respond. She had been feeding Carmilla cookies, and the latter had been eating them one after the other, not even looking away from the screen. When 'Sandy Claws' had been captured, Laura stopped giving Carmilla cookies, figuring that eleven of them had been enough.

After a few moments, Carm frowned and looked down at Laura. "... cookies?"

Laura gave her girlfriend a curious but amused smile, "I gave you a ton already, Carm."

Carmilla actually _pouted_ , but didn't say anything else, only occasionally glancing at the nearly empty box of cookies from the corner of her eye.

Even after a few minutes, the adorable pout had not disappeared, and Laura found herself fascinated by this side of the usually broody vampire. A couple more minutes later and Laura watched Carm reached for the box of cookies.

"You're gonna get a stomachache, baby." Carmilla hesitated for second, but then she just shrugged and pulled the box closer, quickly putting one in her mouth with a small smile.

* * *

 

"I didn't think it'd hurt," Carmilla grumbled, her voice muffled slightly as she was laying down on the bed, her arms wrapped around her stomach and her face pressed against Laura's yellow pillow.

"I think that's in the ache part of 'stomachache', Carm," Laura replied as she changed into her pajamas. Carmilla's only response was a drawn out groan. "You did eat pretty much the entire box. Maybe next time you won't eat so many sweets."

"You've eaten a whole box before!"

"Not all at once!"

"Why didn't you stop me?"

"I tried, but you were too cute to resist."

"I'm _not_ cute."

"You _pouted_."

"I did not pout!"

"Yeah, you did," Laura could tell that Carmilla was getting increasingly agitated.

"I don't pout."

"I thought so too, until I saw you doing it."

"That's ridiculous," Carmilla replied, moving to the side as Laura got into bed with her.

Laura rolled her eyes and kissed her cheek, "If you say so."

"I do," said the vampire, putting her arms around Laura, "G'night."

"Goodnight, Carm," Laura smiled as they both quickly drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading <3


	5. Present: Dinner Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura, Carmilla, and Carmilla's stuffed buddies have a dinner party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !! Hope you like it !!  <3

 

**_Chapter 5 - Present: Dinner Party_ **

 

Laura was working on an essay, but Carmilla was definitely not making it easy. 

The vampire had been positioned behind Laura's chair, arms wrapped around her neck and shoulders, for the past few minutes, humming and not-so-subtly trying to get Laura to step away from her work, until it seemed she was getting impatient. " _Mamaaa_ , come play dinner party with me." 

"Sweetheart, I really gotta finish this, okay? Just a little longer," Laura replied, giving the pale arm near her face a peck. 

"But... I miss you," Carmilla whined quietly into Laura's shoulder in a way that made Laura really want to strangle her English teacher for giving her so much work this past month. As much as she wanted to give in, she really had to finish that essay. 

"I miss you too, princess. How about you set up the table with Jamie and all his friends and get everything ready while I finish up, okay?" 

Carmilla brightened up, a grin on her face. "Okay!" She kissed her cheek and ran off excitedly to do just that. 

 _Just one more paragraph_. Laura had been very busy with assignments the past two weekends, and the weekends were usually when Carmilla would let herself regress, so Laura hadn't been able to really spend time her in a while, and it was hard not to feel guilty even though she knew it wasn't her fault. 

* * *

 

She had just barely finished the paragraph when Carmilla ran back in, now wearing a purple sundress and (Laura's) black cat-themed fuzzy socks, adorable smile on her face. "Mama, I'm ready!" 

Laura laughed warmly and got up, stretching her limbs after having been sitting for so long. She was happy to finally be able to spend time with Carm. It always turned out to be as equally therapeutic for herself as it was for Carmilla. "Sounds like exactly what I need right now, princess. An awesome dinner party with my favorite girl," Laura smiled and wrapped her arms around Carmilla in a tight hug, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Carmilla made a sound of indignation at her words. "But I'm your only girl, aren't I?" 

"You got me. I meant my most favorite person ever." 

Carmilla's pout turned into a tentative grin. "Really? Most ever?" 

"Absolutely, sweetheart." 

Grinning widely, Carmilla gave Laura another happy squeeze before leading, or rather pulling, Laura over to their living room. A table had been set up with tea cups filled with iced tea and juice and plates of microwaved mac n' cheese. "You've been working a lot! And you've only eaten some cookies all day, even though you tell me eating too many sweets is  _bad_ ," Carm gave her a look. She was doing that thing where she was being really sweet but also very critical in one go, not unlike her usual "big" self. It made Laura smile in amusement. 

"You're right, I guess sometimes mamas need to be taken care of too, huh?" 

Carmilla furrowed her eyebrows in thought at hearing this, and then nodded, adapting a serious face, bottom lip jutting out just slightly. 

"I'll take care of you, Mama. You take care of me lots and lots so I gotta take care of you too." 

"Thank you, baby, that's so very sweet of you. And you already are, that mac n cheese looks so good," Laura exclaimed, the corners of her lips upturned at the sight of single leaves of spinach placed in the middle of the mac n cheese to add a 'fancy' factor. It was a princess' dinner party, after all. "Oh man. This looks so nice. I don't think I'm dressed for this," Laura commented, glancing down at her t-shirt and yoga pants. 

"S'okay! You always look really really nice, like a queen!" 

Laura blushed as Carmilla sat her down in a chair beside her own. 

Carmilla bounced in her chair and pointed out all the stuffed animals sharing chairs around the table. "Jamie and Baggy and Pooh and Tigger and Piglet and Roo and Rabbit and Owl and Eeyore are here!" 

"What about Jack and Sally?" 

"There wasn't any space left for them and it would be rude to squish them! And they're on their honeymoon!" 

"Oh, are they? Again?" Laura questioned, eyebrows raised in surprise. "That Jack must have a lot of money, that's the third honeymoon they've gone on." 

"Well he's the Pumpkin King, Mama!" Carmilla replied, very matter-of-fact.

"Right, of course," Laura grabbed a fork. "So can we eat now, princess? I'm starving," she looked at Carm with an exaggeratedly desperate face (but she really was starving).

Carmilla giggled, "Uh huh!" 

The vampire princess grabbed her own fork to eat but froze momentarily, looking up at Laura again with a content expression.

"I love you, Mama." 

"I love you too, princess." 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What'd you think? Thanks for reading <3


	6. Past: Nightmares and Big Blue Boxes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! This one isn't very fluffy... but you'll like it? I think!^^

_**Chapter 6 - Past: Nightmares and Big Blue Boxes** _

 

Laura was woken up in the middle of the night by the the sounds of whimpering and the sensation of her girlfriend shifting restlessly. 

"I'm--I'm sorry! Mother-- p-please-- don't!"

Carmilla was tossing and turning and shaking, and Laura was extremely worried. Her nightmares seemed to be increasing in the past few weeks. More often than not Laura was awakened by pained whimpers and pleas, and Laura didn't know what to do about it. She wanted to wake her up, but Carmilla always looked so terribly heartbroken and scared as soon as she opened her eyes and then she would always shut Laura out which made it worse. Maybe she would try a slightly different approach.

Laura got up and out of bed, determined to achieve some sort of progress with her stubborn girlfriend that night. She quietly prepared some hot cocoa in her TARDIS mug, and after a moment of thought, grabbed a plate of cookies too.

"Carm?" she kneeled at the side of the bed, gently setting a hand on Carmilla's shoulder.

The vampire flinched and jolted awake, immediately turning her tear-stained face away at seeing Laura's dark silhouette. She was trembling still, her lip quivering a bit and strands of her hair sticking to her forehead and face from sweat."Turn the light on? Please." 

Laura was surprised to hear her speak, but also relieved. "Of course!" She quickly got up to do just that before getting back into her previous position, sitting with her legs crossed on the floor with what she hoped was a comforting smile. Carmilla seemed to calm down a little when the light was turned on, but she still wouldn't look Laura in the eye.

There was silence for a minute, Laura fiddling nervously with the mug handle before she opened her mouth to speak, "I made you some cocoa! It's okay if you don't want any, it's just I thought maybe it might help you feel better, since it usually helps me feel better and... but if not I also have cookies! You seemed to like those last week, and these are even better because Perry made them, and well, we both know that Parry's baking skills are--"

"Laura. Just pass me the cookie," Carmilla murmured, having picked up the TARDIS mug during Laura's ramble. Laura, blushing slightly, put a cookie in the palm of the vampire's outstretched hand. The amusement towards her girlfriend's dorkiness having worn off, Carmilla was left to glance uncomfortably around the room once again, nibbling on the cookie.

Laura sighed dejectedly after the vampire's fourth little nibble, obviously realizing that her girlfriend wasn't planning on speaking anytime soon, if at all. "Carmilla, we have to talk about this _some_ time."   
  
"No, we don't," Carmilla clenched her jaw, holding on to the mug a little harder than she needed to. 

"We do. _God_ , you have these terrible nightmares and they're happening more often, and you're grumpier and broodier than usual and you don't talk to me or--or  _anyone_ about this. It's not healthy, okay?" Laura ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "I just... I don't know how much longer I can--" 

"How much longer you can stand it? So, you'd--what? Break up with me if I don't talk?" the vampire interjected heatedly, eyes hard but voice wavering as she spoke. 

"No, that's not what I--"Laura shook her head almost violently, "no, of course not. I just wish you'd talk to me," Laura murmured the last sentence, a desperately hopeful expression aimed at her girlfriend. 

"I don't want to talk about it, Laura!" Carmilla cried out; a sudden, frustrated outburst. "I spend all my time--I spend every day trying to just...  _forget_ about it, not think about it and I just, I can't, okay? So stop  _asking_ _!_ _"_  

Laura tried not to look hurt, she really did, but she didn't think it had worked when she saw Carmilla sigh and squeeze her eyes squeeze shut for a moment before opening them again to whisper, "I'm sorry." 

"No, it's... fine, it's fine," Laura stood up, trying to swallow the lump in her throat, her eyes stinging. She felt upset with her self when a few tears streamed down her face. She hurriedly wiped them of with the back of her hand. 

Carmilla sat up and pressed her lips together as she noticed this. "Shit... Laura, I--"

"It's fine. We're both tired and, um, so I'll just go to bed. I'm sure you need some space," Laura smiled tightly and awkwardly backed away to lie down on the other bed across the room, leaving them both to spend the rest of the night on separate mattresses. 

* * *

 

Laura hadn't been avoiding Carmilla. She was just... giving her the space she needed. Especially while Laura figured out what the hell she was going to do now. She didn't know if she should keep pushing for the vampire to talk (which hadn't worked) or simply let it go (which didn't seem like the best thing, honestly). Naturally, Laura sought out Lafontaine for advice.

"So, first you tested the waters a bit with the little space thing, and then you pleaded for her to spill her guts, but she still wants to pretend everything's cool," Laf summed up as they tested samplies of some substance Laura couldn't name and didn't particularly want to ask about at the moment, it was probably another experiment to test some sort of theory on sentient mushrooms.

"Pretty much." 

"Right. Remind me again why you did that?" Laf questioned with a hint of an amused smile.

Laura sighed, "I thought if she could talk about it then I could bring up little space without it being awkward or weird." 

"But she still won't talk, huh?" Lafontaine frowned and adopted a pensive expression. "Well, that night you watched that Night Before Christmas movie and gave her cookies, you said you'd never seen her let her guard down like that before, right?"

"Yeah?" Laura raised an eyebrow, waiting for her friend to continue. 

"Why don't you keep trying to do things like that? Kind of... sneak it in, little by little, and see how she reacts to it." 

"That... could work-- I can totally be sneaky!" Laura grinned and bounced on the tips of her toes in excitement and renewed determination. 

Lafontaine gave her a supportive smile, although they appeared vaguely incredulous after hearing her response.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next one will be fluffy I swear! I freaking love little!Carm so much.


	7. Present: I'll Protect You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They tell Mattie about little!Carm and there's some cute Hollstein :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated quick 'cause I felt bad the last chapter was sorta sad/angsty... x)

 

> _**Chapter 7 - Present: I'll Protect You** _

 

Laura sighed, dreading the phone call she had promised Carmilla she would make. She willed herself to relax and focused her attention on the little vampire princess sprawled out on the carpet near her feet, coloring in Maleficent's skin green. She moved a little restlessly on the couch she was sitting on and smiled as she heard Carmilla sing along to the Steven Universe theme song on the screen. Laura finally pressed the call button and waited as the dial tone sounded.

Around two weeks ago, Carmilla had mentioned that she would like to tell Mattie about little space, and had then quietly requested that Laura call her sister for her. Carmilla has always admired Mattie, so Laura understood her girlfriend's nervousness and trepidation towards the idea. Carmilla hoped for Mattie to accept this other side of her, and in turn, Laura was anxious about it too. She was anxious, but she would definitely chew Mattie out if she even dared to say anything to hurt her princess.

She held the phone to her ear as she waited and took a breath as Mattie's voice came through.

_"To what do I owe the pleasure of your call, hobbit?"_

"Hello to you too, Mattie."

At hearing her sister's voice, Carm looked up at Laura, a nervous look in her eyes as she took her bottom lip between her teeth. She shifted slightly and went back to coloring, no longer humming and pretending she wasn't listening intently to the conversation.

 _"Really, though, is there another group of wayward souls you're just dying to save Or-- oh is there trouble in paradise?"_ she drawled out the last inquiry with an amused, mocking tone.

Laura rolled her eyes, "There's no one who needs saving right now and everything's good. I... just need to talk to you about something that has to do with Carmilla."

_"And that is...?"_

Laura could practically see Mattie's raised eyebrow. "Okay, so Carm has a coping mechanism sort of, where she-- you know more than anyone all that's happened with her birth mother and the Dean-- and she, it helps her to--"

_"As entertaining as your ridiculous, mindless rambling is, it'd be wonderful if you got to the point."_

Laura huffed and continued, "Carmilla regresses, to a much younger age. It helps her cope and calm her down. I take care of her."

There's silence on the other line.

Laura glanced at Carmilla, who was holding a crayon tightly between her fingers and staring intensely at her coloring page. "And before you say anything, Carmilla wanted me to tell you because she was too nervous to do it herself, and as her sister it'd be really cruel if you--"

_"Oh, for God's sake, be quiet and put the little monster on the phone."_

"... Mattie, what are you-- look, she's little right now, okay? Just don't say anything to hurt her."

Carmilla had gotten up and had her hand outstretched towards Laura, motioning for Laura to give her the phone. Laura gave her a look which she hoped conveyed that she didn't have to take the call if she didn't want to. Carmilla only gave her a small, uneasy smile. A still hesitant Laura put the call on speakerphone and set it in the little vampire's open palm.

Carmilla shifted from one foot to the other and used her other hand to grab onto Laura's, who gave her hand a squeeze in return.

"Mattie?" was the soft, mumbled greeting that came from Carmilla as she stared down at her and Laura's intertwined fingers.

_"It appears you've finally come out of your shell, kitty. I'm assuming that horribly torn up bear you always fail to hide has some sort of name."_

Carmilla's eyes widened, she was caught off guard, and then she frowned indignantly. "Jamie isn't horr'bly torn, he's strong," Carm abandoned the hand-holding to grip the phone in both hands.

_"Right. How long have you had that bear? Hasn't it been over a century? That old thing probably would have given you multiple diseases already if you were human."_

"Hey! Mama cleans him! He's clean!" Carmilla pouted and then bit her lip, seemingly nervous at using Laura's other title with Mattie for the first time, as she hadn't meant to. There was a very short pause, in which Carmilla (and Laura) had begun to panic just slightly.

_"I suppose I'll take your word for it. I find it surprising she's taking care of you, seeing as she's not very adept at doing so with herself, but I guess her endless supply of sweets comes in handy."_

Laura scoffed and pouted in exaggeration, making Carmilla giggle. 

"She made a face!"  Carmilla smiled and then she glanced up at Laura, giving her a look as if urging her to speak. Laura responded with a confused furrowing of her eyebrows before remembering that Camilla had also wanted Mattie to come visit.

"Oh, hey, Mattie? We were wondering if you weren't too busy, maybe you could come over sometime soon."

 _"I don't think I could pass up the chance to further aggravate the little monster in her sensitive state,"_ Mattie teased.

"Mattie!" Carmilla gasped.

_"Relax, kitty. It's all in good fun. Besides, I'm joking. Partly."_

Carmilla let out a groan, but she was smiling.

* * *

 

Mattie was going to arrive any moment now, and surprisingly, Carmilla didn't seem as nervous as Laura had expected her to be. Although she had put on her Tigger onesie, which she tended to do when she was scared or anxious, she appeared much calmer than before the phone call. Laura was curled up in the couch with her, watching cartoons, Jamie the Bear selfishly taking up space in between both of her chests as Carm cuddled both the bear and her. Laura couldn't help but stare, a soft smile on her face and a fond look in her eyes. The vampire seemed to sense eyes on her and looked up at Laura with a smile, face flushing. Laura smiled back and cupped her little girl's cheek, moving away strands of Carmilla's hair away from her face. She pressed a kiss to a pale forehead. 

"Mattie should be here very soon," Laura noted.

"Mm hmm," Carmilla hummed, corners of her mouth lifted in contentment at Laura's touch.

"And how do you feel? Are you nervous, baby?" Laura couldn't help but still worry, the vampire having been fairly quiet since the phone call.

Carmilla responded with a gentle shake of her head, and then she paused, seeming to actually consider the question. "No? ...Maybe just a little."

"Okay. Well, I think everything's going to go great. And even if it doesn't, you know I'll protect you, right?" Laura wrapped her arms around Carmilla tighter.

Carmilla grinned and nodded, "I know, Mama." 

"Good!" Laura mirrored her grin and gave Carm a kiss on her cheek, and then on the other, and then started to pepper kisses all over her face, smiling wider when she made Carmilla squeal and giggle. 

A knock on the door made them both pause, and then Laura gave Carmilla's nose one last peck before standing up, gently pulling the other girl up by the hand. Carmilla grabbed Jamie on the way to the front door, positioning herself behind Laura. She gripped Laura's hand tighter and squeezed Jamie's fluffy paw with her other hand.

Laura opened the door to greet Mattie, who looked as put together as usual, although the pink plushie in her hand kind of ruined the regal, _I-could-ruin-you-with-one-glance_ look. "Hey, Mattie!" Laura's polite smile transformed into a genuine one as Carmilla's eyes widened at the sight of the stuffed animal and she squeezed Laura's fingers.

"Laura," Mattie acknowledged. There was a glint in her eyes as she looked at Carmilla in her Tigger onesie and stuffed bear in hand that Laura couldn't figure out. "Hello, kitty." She invited herself in and glanced around the small apartment with an amused but critical eye. "I shouldn't expect much more from a college student, although the decor leaves something to be desired," she commented as her eyes hovered over a Harry Potter fanart poster on the wall in the hallway. 

"Hey! What's wrong with my decor? I think my decor's fine, thank you," Laura countered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I like the posters. They make the house look fun," Carmilla defended. 

Mattie responded with a slow roll of her eyes, "Then I guess this thing here will cater to your tastes," she lifted up the pink lion and held it out to Carmilla, who immediately let go of Laura and grabbed the stuffed animal. 

"Lion!" she ruffled the plushie's mane and held it close before looking at Mattie with curious eyes. "How did you know I like Steven?" 

"Laura told me. I thought you'd appreciate it," Mattie replied with the ghost of a smile on her face although she was fiddling with the clasp of the handbag in her hand uneasily, not used to that sort of reveal of affection. 

"Yeah, after you asked me to tell you what Carmilla liked," Laura chimed in and grinned cheekily at Mattie's exasperated look.

Carmilla's mouth fell open in disbelief. "You did?"

"Oh, like the midget wasn't going to tell me anyway. She was messaging me nonstop already."

Obvious to the three of them that Mattie was just grasping at straws now, Carmilla just smiled, and then almost knocked Mattie over with an abrupt and tight hug.

Mattie's face had Laura laughing. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason I feel like my writing is lacking it's usual... decent-ness lately? I don't know omg. I hope you liked it!


	8. Past: Let's Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla talks. Cute hollstein fluff. An accidental slip.

_**Chapter 8 - Past: Let's Talk** _

 

 

“There you are,” Carmilla's relieved smile turned into a guilty one as she entered their dorm and closed the door. “I haven't seen you much all week.”

“Oh, hey,” Laura turned around in her chair, “Yeah, I… I'm sorry, Carm, I--”

Carmilla shook her head and sighed, “No, it's alright. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that.”

“And I shouldn't have pushed you to talk when you weren't ready to,” Laura stood and wrapped her arms around Carmilla. “And I'm sorry I ignored you, baby. I shouldn't have done that,” she added quietly.

“It's fine,” Carmilla held Laura and let her chin fit into the space between Laura’s shoulder and her neck. “I deserved it, really,” she chuckled darkly. “I'm just glad that… You scared me. I didn't know if you were… rethinking things and I…” Carmilla’s grip on her tightened as she spoke, her voice delicate and tinged with anxiety.

“You didn't deserve it. And I'm sorry, Carm. I promise you the only thing I was thinking was how to be a better girlfriend to you.”

Carmilla leaned back with a frown, “What do you mean? Laura, you're-- you're amazing, okay? If anyone needs to be a better girlfriend, it’s me. I know it hasn't been easy dealing with all of my shit. You were right, I'm bitter and distant all the time and I keep it all in and it's not fair to you.”

“I promise you that's not something you need to feel guilty about at all. You don't have to apologize for your feelings. You can't control what you feel. I don't know what exactly it is that's hurting you, but I know it must be hard, and all I want to do is be there for you and help in any way I can.”

“Okay, ”Carmilla response was quiet and she nodded, still looking distraught. She embraced Laura again, catching Laura off guard. Not that Carmilla wasn't affectionate, because she was, but in the past few weeks it had mostly been Laura who initiated any hugs or kisses. She was worried when Carmilla hid her face in Laura’s shoulders and fisted the fabric of the back of Laura’s shirt. Laura held her and rubbed circles into her back.

Carmilla moved so her chin was on Laura’s shoulder again, “The-- the dreams, they're about my mom. My birth mom. They're about Mother-- the Dean-- too, but it's mostly my birth mom.”

“Okay,” Laura replied, cautiously, happy her girlfriend was opening up and not wanting to scare her off.

“I… she… she wasn't-- I didn't like her, she--” Laura felt the grip on her shirt tighten.

“Hey,” Laura tangled a hand in Carmilla’s hair. “It’s okay, baby. You don’t have to talk about it if you don't want to.”

Carmilla nodded into her shoulder and took a breath. Laura could feel Carmilla’s breathing pick up and her body tremble slightly. “I hated her. I still hate her and she's dead. The things she… the things that she did,” she sniffled and Laura pulled her closer, as if she could somehow take away her pain. Carmilla continued, “I think she hated me too. And I feel so stupid, so weak that this still... that it still hurts so much after all this time.”

“You're not stupid. And you're definitely not weak,” Laura bit her lip and pressed a kiss into Carmilla’s hair. “You're the strongest person I know.”

Carmilla shook her head but didn't refute her, taking a deep breath instead. “I think… that maybe Mother didn't really help. She just made it worse with the manipulating and the coffin... and I guess with her it's like my birth mom never really left.”

 _Oh, Carm._ “I'm sorry you’ve had go through that. You don't deserve any of it.”

When Carmilla didn't respond, Laura gently turned Carmilla's head so she could look at her face, cupping her cheek. “You don't deserve any of that, okay? No matter how many mistakes you've made, no matter what anyone has said on the contrary, nobody deserves that. Especially not from someone who's supposed to love and care for you unconditionally. And none of this is your fault. You deserve to be loved and cared for and cherished.”

Carmilla leaned into Laura’s touch and squeezed her eyes shut, a few tears falling down her cheek. Despite her visible attempt to contain the emotion, she sobbed, and Laura felt as if her heart was being crushed. She’d never seen Carmilla like this before, and she felt more than a little helpless. It occurred to Laura that Carmilla had probably not been told this, that she didn't deserve it and it wasn't her fault. She wanted to erase all of Carmilla’s painful memories and replace them with happy ones, she wanted to hold her and keep her close and do anything to bring a smile to her face. But all she could do was wipe Carmilla’s tears and murmur soft reassurances, tell her that everything was going to be okay.

* * *

 

Laura was glad that Carmilla had opened up to her. Ever since then Carmilla had seemed less burdened, obviously still struggling with all of what she’s going through, and she wouldn’t say much more about her mothers or her nightmares, but she wasn’t shutting Laura out anymore, and that was progress. And now it would be easier for Laura to continue with her plan.

A few days later, she was more than a little excited as she held a gift in her hands and Carmilla came into the dorm.

“Hey, baby!” she greeted, giving Carmilla a peck on the lips.

Carmilla smiled, “Hey, cupcake,” she noticed what was in her hands and raised an eyebrow, “What’s that?”

Laura grinned and handed it to her, “It’s for you! Despite what you might try to deny, I know you liked The Nightmare Before Christmas, and I saw it in a store and I just thought you’d look really cute in it and so…”

Carmilla took the item of clothing in her hand and gave Laura a look, “A Jack Skellington hoodie?”

Laura’s grin widened, “See, you even remember his name!”

Rolling her eyes, Carmilla put on the hoodie,” It’s not like it wasn’t repeated a hundred times throughout that stupid film,” she pulled Laura closer by the hand, “You, creampuff, are ridiculous,” she murmured before kissing her. “If anyone else had given it to me I wouldn’t be wearing it,” she affirmed.

“Riiight,” Laura could only smirk in response.

* * *

 

To Laura’s unending amusement, Carmilla didn’t really take the hoodie off much at all the whole week. She certainly wasn’t going to mention it, though. Lafontaine and Danny had made some offhand comments about it and Carmilla had only glared and threatened to gouge out their eyes and make them both eat them, to which Lafontaine had muttered something about melodramatics and Danny had rolled her eyes.

 

* * *

 

Laura had decided they needed some more snacks and things for their mini fridge, and had of course dragged Carmilla along with her. They had done this a few times before, and typically, Carmilla was grumbling in between bouts of affection that included playing with Laura’s hair and peppering kisses on her neck until Laura would blush and gently push her off and remind her they were in a _PG_ _setting_ so _PG-13_ things would have to be saved for later. The only _helpful_ thing Carmilla ever did on their grocery runs was check off items from Laura’s list, which usually mainly consisted of a lot of grape soda, a lot of cookies,  a lot of cereal, milk, and other extremely carb-filled foods.

When they reached the cookie aisle, Carmilla got noticeably quiet, ceasing her muttered complaints and sarcastic remarks. Laura, intrigued, made a mumbled comment about how Perry had been making some pretty good points on health and that she should probably cut down on the cookies. Laura watched from the corner of her eye as Carmilla frowned.

“Oh, come on, Curly has a point, but that doesn’t mean you have to cut them off completely,” the leather-clad girl voiced.

Smiling, Laura teased, “Oh? What, do you want cookies, Karnstein?”

Carmilla rolled her eyes, “It’s not like I ever said I don’t like them. I’ve eaten the ones you’ve bought before.”

“Soo, what you’re saying is you want cookies?” Laura continued with a playful smile.

“If I say yes, will you _shut up?”_ Carmilla groaned.  
  
“Mhm!”  
  
“ _Fine_ , I want some cookies.”

With a triumphant grin, Laura picked out a couple boxes of cookies, a few more than usual, and kissed Carmilla’s cheek.

* * *

 

Laura had noticed a long while ago that every time she called Carmilla ‘baby’, the girl would get this conflicted look that lately had been turning into a small smile. So, on a Friday night when they had both gotten in their pajamas, Laura thought she’d up the ante a bit.

“Hey, beautiful,” Laura spoke as she gave Carmilla a kiss, “Are you up for a movie marathon?”

Carmilla, pausing at the newest term of endearment, recovered quickly and set down her book, moving so Laura could sit beside her. “I’ve got no choice but to say yes, don’t I?” she replied with a teasing smirk.

 Laura rolled her eyes and grabbed her laptop, a pack of cookies and a blanket before sitting next to her girlfriend. “Shush, you like movie marathons. You’re a secret lover of cuddles, remember?”

The vampire shrugged and pulled Laura closer, kissing the side of her face in response, “Guilty as charged, cutie.”

Laura grinned happily, leaning into Carmilla’s touch as she started the first movie, “I was thinking that it’s about time you’re introduced to all the Disney classics.”

Carmilla groaned and pulled away slightly only to pull Laura closer again and kiss her, “I take it back, cuddling is terrible. Let’s have sex instead.”

“Carm!” Laura exclaimed, blushing.

The other girl only smirked in response, “What?”

Still blushing, Laura rolled her eyes, “Movies now, sex _later_.”

“Deal,” Carmilla gave Laura a wolfish grin and kissed her again.

* * *

 

“Okay, so Gaston is a piece of shit,” Carmilla commented as Gaston barged into Belle’s home and propped his muddy feet up on a table. She had managed to whine for a total of three minutes, but as soon as Belle and the whole town began singing, Carmilla had shut up, wrapped her arms around Laura and watched attentively. Laura had watched Carmilla react, the small smiles, the amused exhales, and the eyes full of wonder all making her feel all warm inside. Seeing Carmilla like that did funny, fluttering things to her stomach.

“Yeah, he kind of sucks,” Laura agreed, curling strands of Carmilla’s hair around her fingers.

* * *

 

After Beauty and the Beast, Laura played The Lion King (throughout which Carmilla had given up all pretenses of disinterest and had muttered that Scar was her favorite) and then Snow White (which Carmilla didn’t seem to like as much as the others). Throughout the movies, Laura had been absentmindedly feeding Carmilla cookies, and she had to kiss away Carmilla’s pout when she announced to her that having eaten most of the box was enough. At some point Carmilla had become the little spoon. When the credits to Mulan were showing, Carmilla was in that deliriously sleepy state, trying to keep her eyes open. Laura quietly shut down the laptop and set it down at the edge of the bed, amused at the turn of events from their _deal_. She settled in comfortably, her arms around her girlfriend, and the placed a goodnight kiss to Carmilla’s jaw. “Goodnight, belle.”

“Mm? Noo, you’re Belle,” Carm mumbled drowsily with a slight frown Laura couldn’t see.

“Nope. That’s you,” Laura said softly. “You’re my belle. So beautiful,” she smoothed back Carmilla’s hair, “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

“Goodnight, baby,” Laura whispered, feeling herself drift off to sleep as her eyes closed.

“’Night, Mama.”

Surprised, Laura opened her eyes and leaned her head back in an attempt to look at Carmilla’s face. She felt Carmilla stiffen in her arms, and then jolt to a sitting position, facing away from Laura.

“Carm— “

“I think I’m going to head out for a bit,” Carmilla moved over Laura and tried to get off the bed, but Laura held her back by the arm.

“No. Let’s talk, okay? Let’s talk, please.”

Carmilla was shaking her head, trembling, but then she leaned back and sat down again. “Okay,” she whispered quietly, “Okay.”

 

 

 


	9. Present: Here Comes a Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura comforts Carmilla after a nightmare. Pokémon Go. A bit of angst (Oops?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in one day! Hey!!!  
> Also, just a heads up, the plan is for this fic to have 6 more chapters <3 I hope you've enjoyed it so far!  
> ~Kit

_**Chapter 9 - Present: Here Comes a Thought** _

 

 

Laura was awoken by the sounds of Carmilla whimpering. She was fidgeting and moving in her arms, trying to break free of Laura’s grasp. With a frown, she untangled herself from the girl and got out of bed. Even though they had a night light in the room, Carm usually calmed down quicker from a nightmare when the bedroom light was on. She switched it on and picked up Jamie the Bear from the floor near the bed where he must have fallen in the middle of the night. Laura had learned it was best not to touch Carm when she was having a nightmare and to also give her a few moments of space after she woke to calm down a bit, so she knelt in front of the side of the bed and called Carmilla’s name gently, “Wake up, baby. It’s okay. Nobody’s going to hurt you. You’re safe.”

Carmilla opened her eyes and sniffled, rubbing at her eyes and looking around the room until her eyes fell on Laura and Jamie. She wordlessly reached out for the bear and hugged him to her chest when Laura passed him to her.

“Deep breaths, princess. It’s okay. You’re safe,” Laura murmured. She continued to mumble similar assurances as Carmilla followed her instruction and took in deep breaths, burrowing her face in Jamie’s fuzzy fur. After a few minutes, she rubbed at her face to get rid of the last stray tears and then made grabby hands for Laura. Laura smiled and got into the bed again, pulling Carmilla against her and smoothing her hair over, pressing kisses to the side of her face and forehead, “I’m here. You’re safe. I love you. I love you so much.”

Carmilla smiled and snuggled against her. Laura held her for a few moments as she felt her breathing slow down. “Do you want to talk about it?” Carmilla shook her head. “Do you need anything, sweetness? Are you thirsty?” Laura asked, holding her close. Another shake of the head in reply. “Okay, princess,” Laura pressed another kiss to her forehead, “Sweet dreams.”

 

* * *

 

Lafontaine had introduced Carmilla to the world of Pokémon, and Carmilla had fallen in love completely. She had been watching the series nonstop for weeks. It got to the point where she was pouting and begging for Pokémon toys and onesies. Laura had given in and gotten her a Pikachu onesie as well as an Eevee onesie, and a Jigglypuff plushie. The sneaky little girl had then gone on to ask Mattie _and_ Perry for more Pokémon things and the result was four more plushies, two hoodies and two Pokémon caps (for Laura too) arriving via mail at their apartment, to Laura’s surprise. Carmilla had given her a coy grin when her Mama had questioned her.

“You are such a spoiled little princess,” had been Laura’s fond reply, followed by a kiss. She couldn’t really be annoyed, after all. So what if she was being spoiled? Carmilla was way too cute and she deserved anything and everything that made her happy.

“Your little princess, Mama!”

Yeah, really, _who could say no to that?_

* * *

 

One weekend, Carmilla was watching Pokémon and coloring in the Pokémon-themed coloring book that Laura had just gotten her when suddenly Laura thought of something. She took out her phone.

“Hey, princess?” she called out, coming into the living room and sitting on the carpet next to Carmilla.

“Hm?” Carmilla didn’t look up from her page, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she colored in the bushy tail of an Eevee purple. Laura always found it endearing how she rarely used the right colors, even though it totally freaked Perry out, which usually made Carmilla giggle. She would sometimes give Perry pages she had colored as a gift and Perry would look at it in frustration but would put it in her scrapbook anyway (Perry had announced she would make one for Carm’s art after the fifth page Carmilla had given her and Laf).

“Did you know that we can catch Pokémon in real life?”

This made Carmilla pause, and she looked up at Laura, “What do you mean, Mama?”

Laura smiled and showed Carm her, starting the Pokémon Go app. “There’s this game, see? And you can go out and catch Pokémon in real life with it because it’ll show you where they’re hiding.”

Carmilla’s eyes widened as she looked at the phone. She dropped her crayon, coloring effectively forgotten, and shot up to her feet. “I want to! Can we go, Mama? Please? I want to catch Pokémon! Please?”

Laura couldn’t help but grin and she stood up too, “Sure we can, baby. Just let me get—“ the wind was knocked out of her as Carmilla rushed at her and enveloped in a hug that showed off the little vampire’s superhuman strength. She chuckled and hugged her back, “Let’s get dressed, princess.”

 

* * *

 

Carmilla was practically buzzing with excitement as they got ready to leave the apartment in matching Pokémon hoodies. She put on her cap and then placed the other one on Laura’s head. Laura pecked her little girl’s nose, not being able to handle her being so adorable.

Laura had downloaded the app on Carmilla’s phone. Carm had picked a Squirtle and Laura Bulbasaur. As soon as they left the apartment, Carm was tugging at Laura’s shirt and exclaiming enthusiastically, “There’s a Pokémon right outside our door, Mama!”  

After having caught her first Pokémon, Carmilla was filled with determination to catch them all. She pulled Laura down the sidewalk, singing the show’s theme song under her breath as they walked.

When they got to level five, Laura directed them to a gym and explained to Carmilla about the team leaders.

“Which one did you pick? I wanna be in the same team as you!”

Laura smiled and so they both picked Team Instinct. Carmilla was determined to stop at every single Pokéstop she saw, and so they walked around for over two hours, Carmilla happily commenting on pretty Pokémon, pouting in frustration and asking Laura for help when she failed to catch one. After about the third hour, Laura was getting pretty tired.

“Hey, sweetness, how about we head home? We’ve been out for a long time.”

Carmilla looked up from the phone with an unhappy frown, “But I wanna catch more, Mama, please? Just a little bit more?”

With a sigh, Laura gave in, “Just a little more, baby.” Carmilla grinned and then pulled Laura over to another Pokéstop.

Another half hour later, Laura was getting exhausted. She loved seeing Carmilla happy, she really did, but her feet and stomach were protesting. She had remembered to bring a power bank for the phones, but had forgotten to bring snacks or money.

“Baby, we should go home, alright?”

“I don’t wanna go home. This is really fun, Mama,” Carmilla whined with a pout.

“I said we could stay out for a bit longer, and we did. We can go out again next weekend,” Laura reasoned, taking Carmilla by the hand.

“No!” she took her hand out of Laura’s. “I don’t wanna.”

“Mama’s tired, baby,” Laura reached for Carmilla’s hand again, but the girl only pulled away.

“I want to stay out _longer_ , please,” Carmilla requested, crossing her arms in defiance.

“We’re not staying out any longer, we’re going home,” Laura spoke firmly.

“I don’t wanna— “

“Damn it, we’re going home _now_ , Carmilla!” Laura snapped in frustration, her voice loud.

Tense, she reached for Carmilla’s arm again, but the other girl practically jumped away this time, “N-no, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Mama,” tears formed in her eyes, “We’ll go h-home, don’t hurt me, please. P-please, we’ll go home.”

All of Laura’s irritation left her immediately, and she was left feeling guilty and worried. Her chest felt hollow at hearing Carmilla’s words, “No, no, baby, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”  

“I’m sorry,” Carmilla was crying now, and it was like she was trying to make herself smaller, she was looking around as if she was getting ready to run. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you mad, Mama.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay, baby, I shouldn’t have snapped at you. _I’m_ sorry,” Laura apologized, feeling absolutely terrible for scaring her like this. She feared for a second that Carmilla wouldn’t want to be near her, like with her nightmares, but that fear disappeared as Carmilla hesitantly embraced her. Laura instantly put her arms around her and held her tight, “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

Carmilla didn’t respond, she only clung to Laura. After a few minutes of whispered apologies, Laura gently pried the girl away from her so she could hold her hand, and Carmilla stuck to her side, leaning her head on Laura’s shoulder.

They got home, and Carmilla still hadn’t spoken. She suggested a bath, but Carmilla shook her head. When Laura tried to go shower herself, Carmilla shook her head again in a panic and pressed herself into Laura’s side more. So, Laura brought her over to the bathroom and they took a shower together, and then Laura was dressed and helping Carm into her pajamas.

Laura had put Jamie in Carmilla’s hands and put on Steven Universe. They were sitting on the couch and Laura was braiding her hair and singing along softly to the soothing song that Garnet and Stevonnie were singing. Halfway through the braid, Carmilla finally spoke, her voice wavering and hesitant, “Mama?”

Laura heart fluttered with relief at finally hearing her speak “Yes, baby?”

“I’m sorry I hurt you, I told you not to hurt me and I know you’d never hurt me and I’m sorry,” Carmilla stumbled out, faltering.

“No, baby, it’s okay. I understand. You were afraid, I know. I shouldn’t have made you afraid.”

 “Do you… do you still want me?”

“Of course I do,” Laura cupped Carmilla’s face, “I will always want you. And I will always love you.”

“But what if you stopped?” Carmilla asked, eyes shining with tears, “What if you meet someone and you like them better than me? What if I’m too much and I make you mad a lot and you don’t want me anymore? Or I’m too—I’m too bad and mess up too much?” she was crying again.

“Shh, baby,” Laura wiped away her tears and pulled her close to her chest, “You’re the best person I’ve ever met. You make me so happy. I love spending time with you, and I love caring for you. You’re not too much, you’re never too much. And you’re so very good. I love you, so very much. I’m not going to stop loving you, okay?” she rubbed her back comfortingly, “You’re gonna get so much love from me you won’t know where to put it. You’d have to get a second heart!”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (yes the chapter title is a Steven Universe reference xx)  
> ~Kit


	10. Past: Baby Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hollstein finally talk about it and it's actually pretty cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla blushing is the best.

 

 _**Chapter 10 - Past: Baby Steps** _  

 

Carmilla fiddled with the fabric of the yellow pillow in her lap, legs crossed as they both sat side by side on the bed, her face partially covered by her hair as it fell over her face. Laura could tell she was trembling, could see the slight shake of her fingers.

“Hey,” Laura tilted her head to the side, attempting to see Carmilla’s face better, “I’m not freaked out, okay?”

Carmilla scoffed but didn’t say anything else, refusing to look at Laura and intent on pulling out every loose thread out of the pillowcase.

“I’m not, I promise,” she put her hand over Carm’s, entangling their fingers, “actually, I’ve kind of been expecting it.”

The vampire looked up at that, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “What do you mean you’ve been _expecting it?”_

Laura gave her a sheepish look, “Well, back when I was trying to figure out what was bothering you, I came into the dorm one time. And I guess you didn’t think I’d get out early but you had out an old stuffed bear and you were watching Winnie The Pooh.”  

Carmilla blinked in surprise and flushed, “I wasn’t… that wasn’t, I was bored and I didn’t know what it was, I…”

“It’s okay, Carm. You haven’t done anything wrong. Look, after that, I went over to LaF, and they told me they had seen you do it, too—“

“I’m going to _kill_ that ginger,” Carmilla let out, jaw clenched.

Laura gave her hand a squeeze, “No, you’re not. My point is, that Laf told me about age regression. It’s not weird, and it’s not wrong or abnormal, okay?”

“Age regression,” Carmilla repeated, letting go of the pillowcase with a curious expression. “Is that…?”

“It’s when you regress to a younger age, you do stuff that makes you feel smaller, younger. Lots of people do it to cope, others do it simply to relax, or both,” Laura explained, a reassuring smile on her face, “You didn’t know about it?”

Carmilla shook her head almost imperceptibly, looking down at their intertwined fingers with a distant look in her eyes.

“There’s actually a lot about it online, I looked it up a bit. I looked it up a lot,” Laura chuckled, “You’re not alone, Carm. There’s so many people who love Winnie The Pooh and so many other kids’ movies, and people who love stuffed animals. A lot of them have people to take care of them. I, um, I’m okay with it, of course. I’ve actually been hoping to see more of that side of you, and sort of trying to, well, coax it out of you.”  

“You… have?” Carmilla looked bewildered for a moment, before she sighed, “Of course. It makes sense, the movies and the hoodie, the petnames,” she rolled her eyes, “You don’t let up, do you?”

“Nope!” Laura smiled, “I just want to help,” she moved Carmilla’s hair behind her ear and brushed the back of her fingers down the side of Carmilla’s face, “and I want to know you better. If this is something that you want to do and it helps you, if it makes you happier, then I’m totally in.”

“I don’t know if I…” Carmilla fidgeted uncomfortably, “I don’t want you to do it for me,” her voice was small.

 “Maybe it started out as something I was willing to do only for your sake, when I first thought about it, but… it seems nice. The more I learned about it the more I couldn’t help but want to have something like that. I want to try it out,” Laura smiled a little shyly, “I want to take care of you.”

Carmilla’s jaw dropped slightly at that, and she swallowed nervously. “I don’t… how would we even start, how would we…?”

“Baby steps, sweetness,” Laura kissed her cheek, “We don’t have to rush into it.”

“Okay,” Carmilla whispered, “Baby steps,” she took a deep breath to settle her nerves and moved in closer, laying her head on Laura’s chest. “I trust you.”

Laura smiled wide and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, “Good.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?” Laura leaned back and shifted them until they were against the wall.

“For not giving up on my stubborn ass,” Carmilla smirked.

Laura rolled her eyes and smiled fondly, “Of course. I wouldn’t ever give up on you.”

The vampire smiled and snuggled closer into Laura.

“So, tell me about that teddy bear,” Laura asked after a few comfortable minutes of silence, playing with Carmilla’s hair.

“Oh,” Carmilla went rigid for a moment before letting out a breath. She got up from the bed, kissing away Laura’s frown as she did so. She bent down to reach under her bed and gently pulled out the ratty brown bear. “He’s, uh,” she hesitated in front of Laura, pulling the bear close to her chest. “It’s a toy I’ve had since I was little. Well, not really,” she chuckled, playing with the bear’s ears, “Mattie accidentally lost the original one a long time ago and had an identical one made as an apology. So this one’s only about a century old.”

“ _Only_ a century?” Laura laughed as she moved closer, sitting at the edge of the bed, “What’s his name?”

“Jamie,” Carmilla’s expression turned soft at hearing Laura laugh.

“Aw, that’s a nice name. Can I hold him?”

“Uh, yeah,” the vampire handed the bear over, “Just be careful, he’s a little fragile.”

“Of course,” Laura promised, tenderly taking the light brown stuffed bear in her hands. The bear had black eyes and a black nose, the inside of its ears pink, as well as a frayed, pale blue bowtie around the neck. She felt the fur, soft but with a slight rough texture since it was worn and dirty. A piece of its left ear was missing, and the stitching on one side of its mouth was loose, as well as the stitching on the right leg, just the barest hint of stuffing poking out from a tear. “I like him. Although he does need a wash.”

Carmilla shrugged and attempted to take the bear back, only to be pulled onto her lap with a surprised intake of breath, her back to Laura’s front. Laura only giggled in response, putting Jamie in Carmilla’s hands and her arms around Carmilla’s middle.

Carmilla rolled her eyes and leaned back into Laura with a smile. “Jamie, the original Jamie, I’d had since I was a baby. As a child I considered him my best friend,” she turned the bear around to face her and held it by the paws, “I guess he’s still comforting.”

Laura hummed to show she was listening, feeling way too comfortable not to nuzzle into Carm’s shoulder in silence for at least a moment, “Seems like he’s been a good friend, and he’s really strong. He’s also been through some rough times but he’s still super cute and lovable, so you have a lot in common.”

The vampire flushed, “I’m not cute.”

“That’s a complete lie, baby.”

Carmilla groaned and lifted Jamie to her face to cover it even though Laura couldn’t see her anyway, and then realizing what she was doing, quickly put the bear back down on her lap. “Shut up.”

Laura grinned, kissing Carmilla's shoulder.

Baby steps. They could so totally do this. And it was going to be awesome.

 

 


	11. Present: Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura builds a fort for Carm.  
> This is just fluff. Pure, soft, warm fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little!Carm is so special to me, I know I've said so but I just love her so much. This chap brings in some more on how things work with them and the age regression, and Carm is ofunerugnern just so cute I can't handle it oh my gosh

 

 

**_Chapter 11 – Present: Magic_ **

 

Laura built a fort. She had strung lights all around it and through the inside, as well as put a lamp and a bundle of blankets. She had just placed a plate of cookies and two mugs of hot chocolate inside when the front door opened and a disgruntled-sounding Carmilla came in, muttering under her breath, “fucking idiot thinks he knows John Locke better than anyone,” and then let out a series of colorful insults that Laura guessed were aimed at Carmilla’s philosophy professor, and Laura smiled fondly. She heard the telltale clattering of the keys to Carm’s motorcycle fall into what they had designated the key bowl near the front entrance.

“Honey, I’m home,” Carmilla drawled out with a sarcastic yet teasing tone. Laura heard her coming closer to the living room, “Hey, I know it’s still Thursday, but this week has been a real pain in the ass and I think Jamie would totally agree with—oh, woah.”

Laura popped her head out of the fort entrance and grinned, “Hey, baby!”

Carmilla’s jaw was dropped slightly and when she saw Laura her expression changed into a lopsided smile, “You made a fort.”

“Mhm,” Laura smiled softly, “and I’m sure Jamie would agree to some fort adventures, seeing as he’s already in here with me.”

“Okay,” Carmilla held back a grin as she slipped out of her leather vest, “I’m going to get changed, and um,” her earlier sluggish demeanor was quickly turning into one of thinly disguised excitement, “do you have cookies in there?”

Laura laughed, “And cocoa.”

“Okay,” she couldn’t hold back her grin, “… can you read to me?”

“Of course, sweetness. You can go ahead and pick out a book.”

Carmilla rushed forward to press a joyful kiss to Laura’s lips before turning away, “I’ll be right back!”

Laura grinned and settled into the fort, laying down on the soft blankets, knowing it might take a few minutes for Carmilla to get into the right mindset.

Carmilla almost tripped on the way to the bedroom and willed herself to calm down at least a little. She allowed herself a moment to think about how ridiculous she was before shaking the thought away. Laura made a _fort_. Forts are fun. It’s okay to be excited about it.

She changed into a pair of Laura’s Harry Potter pajamas and pulled her own Jack Skellington hoodie over it. She took took Mama’s Hufflepuff scarf so she could feel like a wizard too. They were gonna be in a fort, and it’s big and there’s lights strung _everywhere_. It’s like in the movies, forts are _magic_ , and forts are for adventures, and they’re safe and cozy and warm. With cookies and cocoa and Jamie and _Mama_ inside them _._

In the bathroom, Carmilla washed her face of the little amount of makeup she had on and pulled on the hood of her hoodie, giggling a little at her reflection in the mirror, the hood falling over her eyes until it seemed she had become the Pumpkin King. She was about to run over to the fort when she remembered she should get a book, and she rushed back to the bedroom to pick out _Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone_ from a shelf, smiling at the thought of being read to. She absolutely loved hearing Mama’s voice, but when she was reading a book to her it was even better, she would act out all the characters and speak in such a loving, caring way that it made Carmilla want to melt and laugh and fall asleep and stay awake all night, all at the same time.

A few minutes later, Laura was still laying down when she got the wind knocked out of her as Carmilla rushed into the fort and plopped onto her lap, laughing as she set the book and the scarf down beside them and wrapped her arms around Laura. The Jack Skellington hood covering more than half her face as she gave Laura’s cheek a kiss.

Laura smiled, complete adoration in her eyes as she gently lifted the hood up to kiss Carm’s forehead, sitting up and giving her a hug. “Hey, princess. I missed you.”

“Missed you too,” Carmilled grinned and took the Hufflepuff scarf, putting it around Laura’s shoulders, “and now you’re a wizard, Mama.”

“Woah, I am! And it looks like so are you,” Laura grabbed _The_ _Philosopher’s_ _Stone,_ opening it to the first page as she leaned back on the mountain of pillows and turned on the lamp, “Harry Potter! I thought you didn’t want to read this.”

“I changed my mind!”

“Oh, did you? Why’s that, beautiful?”

Carmilla shrugged, “You like them,” she blushed slightly, “and the movies were fun.”

Laura cheeks ached from grinning, which was not an uncommon occurrence when it came to Carmilla. “Alright, then. You ready?”

“Yes!” Carm took Jamie in her arms and settled in her lap, Laura placing the book in front of them and kissing the back of the vampire princess’s head.

“ _Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense_ ,” Laura began, with an exaggerated tone of superiority, and Carmilla smiled, hiding a grin behind Jamie’s head.

 

* * *

 

“ _Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept_.”

Carmilla frowned at this, “Harry has a bad family.”

Laura smoothed down her princess’s hair in comfort, “He does. But he goes to Hogwarts and he meets lots of good people who care about him, remember?”

“Yeah,” Carmilla patted Jamie’s head in turn, so they were all comforted and happy. “And he’s going to be a wizard and Ron and Hermione and everyone are going to take care of him and love him. And he’s going to marry Ginny.”

Laura’s laugh came out as a soft exhale, “Yes, he is. He’s going to be happy.”

Carmilla nodded, seeming comforted by this, and so Laura continued reading.

As Harry was being sorted, Carmilla piped up again, “Would I be good in Slytherin, Mama?”

“I think you’d be absolutely wonderful in any house, baby. But I think you’d probably be a Ravenclaw.”

“Not a Hufflepuff like you?” Carmilla frowned.

“Well, you could be one. But even if we were in different houses, that wouldn’t matter. You still wouldn’t be able to get rid of me.”

“I know,” the vampire blushed, obviously not having really known, she had wanted to hear her answer.

Laura went back to the page to continue, pausing as she watched Carm straighten up eagerly in anticipation with a happy glint in her eye, her bangs falling a bit over her eyes, Jamie threatening to fall out of her arms at the movement. “I love you. So much.”

Carmilla wasn’t expecting that, and she turned around, accidentally knocking the book from Laura’s hands, and pecked the tip of Laura’s nose, “I love you,” she sighed in contentment and laid her head on Laura’s shoulder. Laura could feel Carm smile against her skin as she picked the book back up and announced in a very enthusiastic voice that Harry had been sorted into Gryffindor.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, guys! xxx Your comments make my day! Happy New Year <3


	12. Past: Spoiled Belle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura's future love of spoiling little!Carm is starting to show. They go to the arcade to start on middle ground. Carmilla is cute, (as always).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Sorry I was gone for so long but I'm back. The next update won't take nearly as long, I swear. Actually, I might start writing it today or tomorrow, I'm looking forward to another Present chapter! ^^

 

_**Chapter 12 - Past: Spoiled Belle** _

 

Laura was excited. She had gotten Carmilla a stuffed animal. She had been unsure about doing so when she walked into the toy store. Could buying stuffies so soon be considered a baby step?

But as soon as she’d laid eyes on a cute and unbelievably soft Pooh plushie, her doubts had vanished. She was fairly sure Carmilla would love it. She got the feeling that Carmilla hadn’t received many meaningful gifts in her life, maybe not many gifts at all, and Laura had the urge to spoil her.

The past few days, not much had changed. Laura had insisted she didn't mind at all if Carmilla slept with Jamie or watched cartoons; or anything else that she wanted to do, although the only thing Carmilla had done was put the teddy bear on her bed at night instead of hidden under it. The vampire had become more hesitant, noticeably anxious. It was clear to Laura that Carmilla had shared something personal and important, a side of her she hadn't told anyone about before. She had trusted her completely, and It was even clearer to Laura that she couldn't mess this up. Just the thought of hurting Carmilla made her stomach curl.

“Carm?”

“Hm?” Forehead smoothing over from concentrating on the tattered book in her hands, the girl looked up at her girlfriend.

“I, um, I got you something?”

“Oh, did you?” Eyebrow raised, she smirked teasingly and then smiled with warmth, motioning for Laura to sit next to her. “What's that, cupcake?”

“Uh,” Laura fidgeted for a moment before reaching under her bed and pulling out a plastic bag. She took a breath and smiled at Carmilla before taking out the yellow bear. Carmilla set the book down and stared. “I wanted to get you something and I wasn't sure what to get and then I saw it, and it was so cute and soft and I still don't know much about what you like but I know you watch Winnie the Pooh so I thought you might like it. It’s okay if it's too much, though, it's not really a baby step is it? I could take it back.”

Carmilla took the bear from Laura’s hands and ran a hand over its ears and head delicately, a light blush covering her cheeks. She couldn't look at Laura's face and mumbled an almost silent, “Thanks.”

Laura exhaled and looked a little uneasy, “You like it?”

Carmilla pressed the Pooh bear close to her chest. “Yeah.”

Later, she set it sitting next to Jamie on the mattress, against the wall, and it kind of looked to Laura as if Pooh and Jamie were holding hands.

 

* * *

 

“... An arcade?”

“Yes!” At Carmilla’s unimpressed look, Laura pouted, “I thought it was a good idea! At first I thought maybe Chuck E. Cheese’s but I don't think you're quite ready for that yet.”

“Fuck, no, I'm not,” she muttered.

They were standing near the front doors, Carmilla giving the arcade a suspicious stare. Laura had vetoed Carmilla’s usual leather jacket and pants, and instead the girl was wearing the Jack Skellington hoodie and jeans.  

Laura rolled her eyes and then said in a tentative tone, “I think you should stop swearing.”

“What?”

“At least not when we’re doing this. It wouldn't really work out, would it?”

Carmilla shrugged, slipping her hands in the large front pocket of her hoodie, “Guess not. Whatever.”

“Hey,” Laura pulled out one of her hands and intertwined their fingers. “I know you're nervous. But it’s okay. No judgement here, remember? I promise. It would be pretty hypocritical of me, anyway, seeing as I was the one who pushed for this,” she joked, nudging Carm’s shoulder. “And I think Little Carm, what I've seen of her anyway, is absolutely _adorable_.”

The vampire fought off a smile, “Yeah, you've told me.”

“Just making sure you don’t forget, baby,” Laura beamed.

 

* * *

 

“Sweetheart—” Laura let out a laugh as Carmilla grumbled over another loss at their Skeeball competition. “I've had lots of practice. This is your first time at it. You'll get better.”

“Fuck that,” Carmilla kicked the arcade machine lightly.

“Carm,” Laura gave her a scolding look, “No swearing.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the vampire mumbled, and then drifted off towards the Mario Kart machines that had just been vacated.

 

* * *

 

“Oh you've _got_ to be _kidding me._ Ugh, vampire speed,” Laura hopped off the Dance Dance Revolution pad and had to stop herself from being a sore loser, since she was supposed to be helping her girlfriend get into a little headspace and had actually succeeded, in part. Carmilla was considerably less broody and a lot more playful. Laura gave a mock glare and pecked the winner’s forehead. “Well, you beat me again, cutie. Are you hungry? I think I saw an ice cream shop next door.”

“Yeah, okay.” Carmilla’s smile was smug and warm as she followed her. “I beat you every single time.”

“Uh huh, no need to rub it in. I already know you're too good for me,” Laura teased, grabbing on to Carmilla’s hand as they left the arcade and pushed open the door to the ice cream parlor next door. Carmilla squeezed tighter than Laura was used to, having expecting a more light and lazy grip.

Carmilla rolled her eyes, her expression devoid of the figurative shadow that usually cast over her. “I'm not too good. That's you.”

Laura frowned and then amended, “I think we’re both really good for each other.”

Carmilla smiled, “That's really corny.”

 

* * *

 

“What kind do you want?”

The vampire was leaning close to the glass enclosing the barrels of ice cream, inspecting all the flavors and toppings with wide eyes, standing on tip toes despite it not being necessary for her to see.

Laura was startled when, instead of telling woman behind the counter, Carmilla moved to speak near her ear instead, “Mint chocolate chip.”

Laura repeated this to the employee, ordering a cone for herself as well.

“...How many toppings can I get?”

“As many as you want, belle,” Laura squeezed Carm’s shoulder. Sure, it might cut it a little tight with their budget, but Laura couldn't in her right mind say no when Carmilla looked so _bright_. The woman behind the counter seemed to find it cute too, a shadow of a smile on her face.

Carmilla looked from Laura to the line of topping jars before naming just about all of them (except the raisins). She flushed when Laura let out a laugh. Laura took both cones from the amused employee and lead Carm towards a far table.

Laura chuckled at her affronted expression, “I’m not laughing at you, baby, you’re just really cute.”

“Shut up,” Carmilla glared half-heartedly, preferring instead to focus on the cone in her hand.

 

* * *

 

Having had a great idea, Laura had secretly taken the teddy bear Jamie one morning. Carmilla was off on the other side of campus for most of the day and Laura had made plans for Perry to show off her sewing skills.

“Oh my,” the redhead lifted the bear with a gloved hand. “Are you sure this is safe? You know, I’m sure I could disinfect it as well. It could have all kinds of bacteria and bugs—”

“You’re right, Perr. If it’s not too much trouble, could you clean it up too?"

Perry smiled, glad at the prospect of ridding the stuffed animal of diseases, “Of course, Laura.”

A few hours later, Perry had dropped off Jamie, and it looked almost like an entirely different bear. The fuzzy animal had his full smile again, and the tear in his leg was stitched. He looked a much livelier shade of brown, and smelled like lavender detergent. Perry had replaced the frayed ribbon around his neck with a brand new sky blue ribbon. The only sign it was the same toy was the bit of the left ear still missing. Laura had grinned and hugged Perry in thanks.

Laura was too impatient to wait for Carm to come home, and instead put the bear in a gift bag and went to the university’s café where she knew the vampire would be. She caught her girlfriend heading to sit down at a table.

Carmilla was practically jumped by five feet and two inches of dork.

“Agh! Laura!”

Laura yelped out an apology but didn’t sound all that sorry. She pecked the vampire’s lips and sat down next to her, placing the bag in front of them on the table. “That’s for you."

Carmilla looked bewildered, eyebrows furrowed in suspicion, “Another gift? This is a lot of presents to catch up on.”

Laura rolled her eyes, “It’s not a competition.” Nudging her shoulder in excitement she urged, “Look inside!”

Carmilla let out an exasperated sigh and peaked inside the bag. Taking in a sharp breath, she whipped her head to look at Laura.

“Laura— what— how did…?"

Stumbling over her words, she hesitated before taking the bear out and turning it over in her hands, eyes turning just a little misty.

“I asked Perry to help. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell her who it was for and she didn’t really push. I think she was a lot more concerned with the state it was in,” Laura shifted closer and kissed the side of her head. Carmilla didn’t reply, only nodding and squeezing Laura’s hand; whispering a _thank you_ and a scratchy “I love you.”

 

 


	13. Present: Aches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff, Laura and little!Carm cuddling. And then a bit of angst (a moderate amount?), but they talk through it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it!!! <3  
> Have I mentioned I would die for little!Carm? 'Cause if I haven't then now you know

 

 

**_Chapter 13 - Present: Aches_ **

 

“Mama, there’s no such thing as too much candy!”

The bright-eyed vampire princess squealed in laughter as Laura wrapped her arms around her and tickled her sides.

“Sneaky little girl, you’re going to get another tummy ache,” she kissed a pale cheek, and as Carmilla was distracted by it, she took all the sweets that the other girl had stolen from the kitchen. “And there definitely _is_ such thing as too much candy.”

“Not for me!” Carmilla pulled out of Laura’s grip and stuck out a Jolly-Rancher-stained tongue, snatching back a handful of mini Snickers and running away.

Laura made a rather decent attempt at catching her, but it was obvious Carmilla had a much greater advantage, and so she stopped halfway during her third round through the hallway.

“Whew! You win. You’re too fast, sweetness,” she sighed loudly. “I think I need a lot of hugs to recover from all that running.”

“I _always_ win, Mama!” A pleased Carmilla finally came out of hiding and embraced Laura tightly.

“Wow, you're just so good at it all. I don't know how I can keep up with you.  
With Carmilla latched onto her like a koala (thank God for yoga), Laura carried her over to the living room, setting her down on the floor next to her. She kissed her forehead and then her nose. Carmilla got up and took the Wreck It Ralph DVD off the shelf, and Laura put it on.

“Let’s color, yeah?” She pulled crayons and coloring books from the counter and set them on the carpet. Carmilla nodded emphatically, preoccupied with putting a lollipop in her mouth.

“Hm, I don't think I can color with you if you keep on eating sweets. I’d worry too much that you'd hurt your tummy.”

Carmilla’s eyes widened and she pushed all the candy away. “Just this one. No more.”

Laura smiled, “Okay. Which do we color?”

“Star Wars.”

“Star Wars!” Laura flipped to a pair of pages they both liked. “I like Poe the best.”

“No, Finn is the best!”

“Eh, I don’t know, sweetness, Finn’s not the one who can fly any spacecraft.”

“Finn gots a _lightsaber_! And he becomes good!” As if to prove her point, Carmilla promptly begins to color the lightsaber in the hands of the Finn on the page.

“Well, you’ve got a point. He _is_ really strong for doing the good thing, even though he must have been really scared and could have been hurt.”

“Uh huh! He’s good!”

“He is. You know what? I think he reminds me of you.”

“ _What?_ ” Carmilla looked up from her page and stared in wide-eyed confusion. Laura laughed.  

 

* * *

 

It was late when Carmilla’s head poked out through the doorframe, her space-themed pajamas barely visible. “Mama? Watch Emperor’s New Groove?”

Laura looked up from her online textbook, raising a hand to run through her hair before realizing it was in a messy bun. “I’m sorry, baby, I can’t. I thought you were asleep?”

“Can’t sleep.” Carm pouted, “… watch Harry Potter?”

The other girl smiled tiredly, her eyes filling with fondness, “It’s not that I don’t want to watch Emperor’s New Groove, I just have a lot of work to do,” she tilted her head, “Don’t you have classwork to do, cutie?”

Carmilla straightened and glared,  “ _No_ . Classwork is for _big_ people. I’m not _big_ , Mama.”

Laura paused at Carmilla’s tone and bit her lip. “Carm—”

She ran off.

With a sigh, Laura hesitantly turned back to her desk.

 

* * *

 

Carmilla came in later the next day clad in leather pants, setting a mug of cocoa and a sandwich on the desk. “You haven’t eaten all day, cupcake.”

Laura frowned as Carmilla pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, “Thank you… you’re uh, back to being centuries old today?”

The vampire shrugged, “Had some homework to do.”

Laura grabbed onto Carm’s arm before she could turn away, “Hey, I promise I’ll make you breakfast tomorrow, and I’ll watch a movie with you then, okay?”

“Sounds good,” Carmilla gave her hand a squeeze, “Alright, I won’t take any more of your time.”

“Hey,” Laura pouted and leaned in, “No kiss?”

Carmilla smiled and turned to kiss her.

 

* * *

 

It had been two weeks since Laura had said she was going to make breakfast but had gotten too caught up in classwork to do it. Midterms had come up and, yes, Laura and Carmilla had spent _some_ time together, but almost none of it was of the regressive variety.

When midterms were finally over and winter break had started, Laura finally had time to breathe. She got up early the following Saturday, intent on making best plate of scrambled eggs and bacon she'd ever made. She arranged bacon and eggs into a grinning face on Monsters Inc plates, and pieces of fruit into a heart on smaller ones. After she was done setting the table, she crept into their bedroom and slid beside Carmilla’s cocooned form.

“Good morning, belle,” she whispered, peppering little kisses over the side of the sleeping girl’s face.

Carmilla’s forehead scrunched and she whined half-asleep, “Nooo.”

“Come on, princess,” Laura smiled and swept aside hair from Carm’s face. “I made breakfast.”

“Hm?” Carmilla twisted and turned around so she was facing Laura and groggily opened her eyes.

“You hungry?”

Carmilla frowned and burrowed into Laura’s chest. “No.”

“There's _bacon_ ,” she sing-songed, running her hands through dark hair.

Suddenly awake, brown eyes opened wide and met Laura’s. She caught herself and sat up, looking down at her hands. “For you, too?”

“Yeah, we’re eating together, baby,” Laura frowned inwardly at the other’s dejected yet hopeful tone.

“Okay,” instead of the joy that Laura was expecting, Carmilla only grabbed Jamie and slipped out of bed, leaving Laura to follow behind.

Carm settled Jamie on top of a pillow on a chair before sitting down next to him, looking at the plates set out with what seemed to be a critical eye. Her eyes stopped at plate of fruit. “I don’t like blueberries.”

Laura’s forehead creased, “You’ve eaten them before without saying a thing, baby. Are you sure?”

“No blueberries,” she pushed the plate aside.

“Alright,” Laura pursed her lips, startled by the girl’s attitude. She took the plate to the counter, quickly picking out all the blueberries and putting them in a container in the fridge before placing it in front of Carmilla again.

Carmilla simply looked at the plate before glancing up at Laura again. “Cocoa?”

Laura frowned, “What do you say?”

Carmilla’ mouth curled rather petulantly, “ _Please_ , cocoa?”

After a moment’s hesitation in which she wondered what the frilly hell was going on, Laura grabbed the Jack and Sally mugs from the counter and sat next to Carmilla. “Which one do you want today?”

“Jack,” was the mumble Laura got in reply.

“Here you go,” Laura kissed the side of Carmilla’s head.

They ate in unusual silence, Carmilla poking at her food with a Mike Wazowksi-themed fork. Laura was used to little Carmilla’s rambling very closely rivaling her own, but the girl in question was uncharacteristically silent. Her eyes would dart in Laura’s direction, but as soon as she would attempt to meet them, Carmilla would look away.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Laura bit her lip as she noticed Carmilla’s almost full plate.

“No.”  

“You should eat at least a little bit more,” Laura reached for Carmilla’s fork, but was startled when Carmilla yanked it out of her reach and flung it across the table and fell to the floor.

“No!” She shoved the plate away and crossed her arms in defiance.

Laura had keep her jaw from dropping. She had heard of littles being bratty, but Carmilla had never behaved like this before. She was in shock; and honestly, a bit irritated. “What is going on with you? I don’t like that attitude.”

Carmilla shrunk at Laura’s tone, but she didn’t back down. “Don’t wanna eat.”

Laura took in a deep breath and rubbed a hand down her face. “Okay. We could eat later if you want. How about we watch a movie?”

A shrug was the only response she got.

Laura stood up, “Alright, I’m gonna clean up here and then we’ll watch whatever you want, okay?”

“ _Promise?_ ” Laura hadn’t expected the almost harsh glare Carmilla was giving her, or the way Carmilla’s eyes started to fill with tears right after.

“Oh, baby,” Laura immediately pulled Carmilla into her arms. She knew that she had broken her promise before; that she had left Carmilla alone; but she had assumed that it wasn’t a big deal, that Carmilla had understood and forgiven it. She had been wrong. “I broke my promise, I left you alone. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Carmilla trembled against her, arms tightening around Laura’s neck. “You promised, Mama.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m here, baby,” Laura held her tight, rocking slightly.

Carmilla leaned back, sniffling, “You— you promised you wouldn’t stop loving me.”

Laura’s shut her eyes for a moment, the words painful as she realized what Carmilla was really worried about.

“Look at me,” Laura tilted her chin up and wiped a few tears away from Carmilla's face with the other hand. Carmilla reluctantly met her eyes. “I love you. I messed up when I broke my breakfast promise and I'm so sorry I hurt you. I didn't mean to. I want to make you happy, always, but Mama was feeling overwhelmed and didn't calculate how long  would be needed to finish working and then it turned out there was more work I needed to do than I thought and… I didn't realize that I might not be able to make breakfast for you. But that doesn't mean that I didn't want to spend time with you, and it definitely doesn't mean that I'm going to stop loving you. I'm sorry I broke my promise. From now on the next promises I make are going to be ones that I know I can keep. Just like the promise that I made that I wouldn't ever stop loving you,” Laura kissed her forehead.

“Because I do. I love you, always. I hope you can forgive me.”

“S’okay. I forgive you.” Carmilla gave a wobbly smile and took a deep breath now. “I love you, too,” Carmilla rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand and clung to Laura.

“Gosh, that promise is way too easy to keep, I guess I thought it made me an expert promise maker,” Laura shook her head at herself.

Carmilla grinned, “Silly Mama. You forgot _I'm_ the expert at things.”

Laura laughed, “Of course, princess.”

Carmilla settled herself in Laura’s lap and turned towards her plate, “I was lying, Mama. I'm hungry.”

Laura’s smile was soft. “I thought so.”

“I'm sorry I was bad.”

“You weren't bad,” Laura paused, “but you did surprise me a little.”

“I'm sorry,” Carmilla’s eyes threatened to fill again.

“Oh no, belle, it’s okay,” Laura tugged her closer and kissed her shoulder. “I’m not mad. I'm glad we talked. You're such a good and beautiful girl.”

After a few moments of being held, Carmilla mumbled something Laura didn't understand.

“What was that, baby?”

Carm pecked Laura’s mouth and turned towards the food. “Love you, now food.”

Laura snorted, “Want me to feed you?”

Carmilla nodded and passed her the fork. “And I feed you.”

“Oh?” Laura smiled, “okay, let’s do this!”

They both giggled as they struggled to lift forkfuls of scrambled egg to each other’s mouths.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading <3


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